VFL 34 - MMA The Beginning

Event notes

MMA History to be made this January 7th, 2012 MMA has been illegal in West Virginia and the fans have never got to see our fighters display their skills. That's all going to change on January 7th. We have a card that will feature at least 10 professional fighters from WV and they will take on all comers. Come watch this action packed night of fights and be part of history! This is a professional fight card only and will have UFC Hall of Famer, Dan Severn, in attendance to meet and great fans. Event Details Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Williamson Field House 1703 W 3rd Ave Williamson, WV 25661 Time: Doors Open at 7PM and show starts at 8PM Contact: Lionel Royer for tickets or more information 304-283-3053 http://www.vflmma.com/ Ticket Information All fighters will have tickets, they are also on sale at www.VFLMMA.com, and at the home of many of the fighters: www.ButchHiles.com Additional Info on Dan "The Beast" Severn Who Will Be at The Historic First MMA Show in WV. Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958) is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the Cage, PRIDE FC, Cage Rage, WEC, RINGS, and the World Wrestling Federation. He holds a professional MMA Record of 100–18–7 and is a UFC Hall of Famer and a former UFC Superfight Champion. In professional wrestling Severn is a two-time world champion, having won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship twice. He is also now featured as a PlayStation 3 exclusive fighter for UFC Undisputed 2010 even though he has not competed in the UFC for over 10 years. As of January 2011, at age 52, Severn still competes in MMA Competition and pro wrestling. Along with competition, Severn also makes special appearances and autograph signings. He also travels the globe instructing seminars in MMA, grappling, and amateur wrestling. More importantly, Severn is focused on getting his Law Enforcement Training (Danger Zone: LET) developed into more police departments, corrections facilities and the military. Wrestling Severn has a long history in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling. He was a two time All-American at Arizona State University,[1] the original Sunkist Kid of the Sunkist Kids,[2] and a wrestling coach at both his alma mater Arizona State and Michigan State. In addition to his home country, he has wrestled in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, England, and several other countries. Severn failed to win in Olympic trials in 1984 and 1988 (he was a finalist in the trials). In his long career, he has held many national and international titles. He was often introduced to the UFC Octagon as holding more than 100 in total. Severn also held the US national record for victories by pin from 1976 to 1992. Severn began his career in the fight game as a Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestler. He quickly became a top high school and collegiate wrestler capturing many titles, honors, and several national and world titles. As a high school wrestler Severn was a two-time national champion and set eight national records in his career. Severn was inducted into Arizona State University's wrestling hall of fame at the end of his collegiate career. After completing his degree program and graduation Severn entered numerous competitions from 1982 to 1994 that took him to Japan, Hungary, Cuba, France, and Turkey. On each trip, Severn captured another title. He also secured 13 National AAU wrestling championships during those years. The Beast also tried his hand at coaching wrestling at ASU and Michigan State University as he continued to compete and excel after his collegiate career. Severn has been profiled in the press around the world in such publications as USA Today, People, Karate and Kung Fu Illustrated, Black Belt Magazine, MAD, Full Contact Fighter, and many of the pro wrestling publications. Severn also runs a wrestling product company and holds annual wrestling clinics for kids of all ages. He has appeared on 48 Hours, 20/20, The Gordon Elliot Show, Nash Bridges, and many commercials. Severn has developed a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) training facility on his property called "Michigan Sports Camps" in Coldwater, Michigan. This facility is able to house and train individuals for mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. Mixed martial arts In 1994, Severn started competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championships. He was the first world-class wrestler to enter the UFC, foreshadowing the period of dominance by wrestlers such as Don Frye in UFC 8 and 9 and Mark Coleman in UFC 10 and 11. Severn entered the UFC in 1994 at UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors, where he impressed many UFC fans by executing two impressive back suplexs on Anthony Macias. In the finals of UFC 4, Severn was defeated by Royce Gracie who secured a triangle choke for the victory. The submission loss came after Severn was in Gracie's guard for almost 15 minutes. He soon returned to mixed martial arts competition, defeating several opponents to capture the tournament championship at UFC 5: Return of the Beast. Severn's first fight with Russian Oleg Taktarov at UFC 5 is regarded by some[who?] as his best fight ever. He won by TKO after the referee stopped the fight due to a cut. After winning UFC 5, Severn was matched up with Ken Shamrock at UFC 6 to determine the first UFC Superfight Champion, but was defeated by Shamrock early in the fight via submission. Severn then entered the UFC's Ultimate Ultimate 1995, which at the time was the toughest and most competitive tournament in UFC history, consisting of past UFC tournament champions and runner ups. Severn defeated Paul Varelans, David "Tank" Abbott, and UFC 6 tournament winner Oleg Taktarov all in the same night to capture the tournament title. With this win, Severn earned a rematch and title shot against then current UFC champion Ken Shamrock for the UFC Superfight Championship. Severn won a split decision in what most fans regard as one of the worst fights in MMA history, mainly due to legal issues surrounding the event. With the win, Severn captured his third title for the promotion. Severn managed his friend and fellow UFC champion Don Frye during UFC 8. In 1999, Severn founded a new mixed martial arts promotion intended to provide a platform for amateur fighters, called The Danger Zone, in which Severn has also fought. Severn has also trained and became a mentor to notable mixed martial artists including former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, The Ultimate Fighter competitor Luke Zachrich, Sean Sherk, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.[citation needed] Severn was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at UFC 52. Dan Severn, one of the earliest and most legendary stars of the UFC, continued his MMA career on 29 January 2011 by racking up his 97th, and 8th straight, victory in a win over Scott Fraser. In doing so he won the Elite 1 Heavyweight championship. The end came at 4:59 of Round 2 as Fraser tapped to Severn’s arm triangle which he has used to secure his last three victories. The event took place at the Casino New Brunswick in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Former NWA World Champion and current UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn successfully defeated Cal Worsham again, this time via unanimous decision in the main event of Legends Collide 2 on 20 February 2011. Held under the long running Gladiator Challenge promotion in San Jacinto, California, Severn picked up his 9th straight win to improve his record to 98